# 20240929 A story doesn't have to be told in order. For a never-ending story, it behooves the observer to handle this deliberately. A story only exists as long as the immersion lasts, and the story cannot end. A purpose of the encore is to show you the ending before it's over. The last reverberations, the lights left low, a slow fade into suspension, anticipation for the unknown ahead: this is the taste the artist wishes to leave with you, the taste the audience wants to last. It's a kind of binding. But it wouldn't work if it was given in order. An audience requires assembly and disassembly, and those are tasks, not experiences. When the show's over, people exit by rows and file out of the auditorium. Tasks with friends are fun, but that's no way to end a show. So we show you the ending before the show ends, and *then* we play one more song. Everyone gets the ending they want; we all get to taste lingering reverie without the trauma of poor timing. We end elegantly, and then we end practically. ABCD ABDC --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://www.isaacbowen.com/2024/09/29.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.